Animal-Rights Advocates Aim to End Florida's Multibillion-Dollar Cockfighting Industry

Local law enforcement recently arrested 42 people in connection with a brutal backyard cockfighting ring, exposing a violent network of animal trafficking, postal smuggling, and high-stakes gambling tied to the blood sport, Animal Wellness Action president Wayne Pacelle tells New Times.

Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (MDSO) deputies responded to a group of men wielding machetes and knives in the 14000 block of SW 192nd Avenue, according to reports. Deputies at the scene found even more feathered combatants waiting in the wings of an apparent cockfighting operation, according to the sheriff's office.

Several roosters roamed freely around the property, where a large gathering began to flee once law enforcement arrived, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies arrested one man, finding him in possession of rooster spurs, which deputies say is a clear indicator of cockfighting activity.

MDSO seized 72 roosters and charged 42 people with animal fighting, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in jail. So far, only 24 of those arrested appear on the county's online court list — men ranging from 28 to 74 years old.

"It has a much larger organized crime network than anyone realizes," Pacelle tells New Times. "There are between 20 and 25 million illegal fighting birds in the United States, and more than 150,000 backyard operations.

"There are different leagues and tiers. You have the major leagues, minor leagues, and then the amateurs just doing it in their backyards."

While the problem is nationwide, hotspots tend to center around large urban areas, especially those with a high percentage of Latin American immigrants from countries with deep cockfighting traditions, Pacelle tells New Times.

"This remains one of the most widespread forms of animal cruelty," he says.

That's why Animal Wellness Action and other wildlife advocates are pushing federal lawmakers to pass the FIGHT Act, which would give law enforcement agencies more tools in the battle against cockfighting.

The bill has four primary provisions. It would ban online gambling on cockfighting, give the government authority to seize property used for cockfighting, ban the shipment of live birds through the U.S. Postal Service, and create a legal avenue for residents to file civil lawsuits against people for cockfighting, Pacelle says.

The FIGHT Act would allow authorities to seize more than just weapons, birds, and trade tools; they could also seize land, barns, and other property used to raise cockfighting roosters.

Pacelle says those who wager on cockfighting — a multibillion-dollar industry — do so primarily in person or through the dark web, where one can view matches.

Existing laws are already tough on cockfighting: one can't possess fighting animals, be a spectator at a fight, or traffic fighting implements. But animal advocates say that laws aren't tough enough to deter the act.

Another important pillar of the bill would finally bar people from shipping live roosters. While FedEx, UPS, and other shipping companies refuse to ship live birds, the United States Postal Service (USPS), in the year of our lord 2025, allows people to ship live birds through its little white trucks, Pacelle says.

"There were 12,000 birds shipped to Guam alone last year," he tells New Times.

Pacelle notes that USPS has banned shipping live birds for 18 years, but there hasn't been much enforcement. The FIGHT Act would make it illegal to knowingly ship fighting birds, giving authorities more ways to bring charges against supposed cockfighting ringleaders.

The bill's final provision would give ordinary residents the right to sue supposed cockfighting operators in civil court for damages.

Nebraska Representative Don Bacon introduced the FIGHT Act in April 2023. More than 100 members of the House of Representatives, including several Florida representatives, have co-sponsored it.